Le Poète assassiné
Presentation copy inscribed by Apollinaire to Camille Bloch: “à Camille Bloch, son ami, Guillaume Apollinaire.”
Under a premonitory title and cover, Apollinaire published in the autumn of 1916 a collection of tales conceived before the war; he removed five of them and added a new one to close the volume, which inspired Leonetto Cappiello’s cover design, “Le cas du brigadier masqué ou Le poète assassiné.”
When the book appeared, its author was still convalescing after being severely wounded in the temple by a shell fragment. Weakened by several trepanations, discharged to civilian life and decorated with the Croix de guerre, he resumed his artistic and literary life. His friend André Rouveyre drew the portrait of Second Lieutenant Guillaume Apollinaire reproduced as frontispiece.
On 9 November 1918, almost exactly two years after the book’s publication and two days before the armistice, the poet died of Spanish influenza.
A fine copy in remarkable condition, presented to one of his future publishers: Camille Bloch would publish in 1920 a Portrait de Guillaume Apollinaire aux armoiries by Louis Marcoussis. This bookseller-publisher first worked on the rue du Petit Pont, then rue du Bac — from an apartment —, then at 146 boulevard Saint-Germain, then at 366 rue Saint-Honoré, before settling at 10 rue de l’Odéon. He published numerous literary works (Gourmont, Paulhan…) as well as important works of bibliophily. As a bookseller, he was actively involved in building the libraries of the couturiers Jacques Doucet and Jean Patou. A bibliography compiled by Maurice Imbert is devoted to him, listing all his published editions (Catalogue des ouvrages édités par Camille Bloch, chez l’auteur, 1989).
Provenance: Camille Bloch (presentation inscription); Marcel Lecomte (bookplate).